Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Seven: Leading Signalman W. Woodroffe, Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Reserve, a veteran of both World Wars who was killed in action during Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, whilst serving in H.M.S. Wakeful, on 29 May 1940

1914-15 Star (J.13386 W. Woodroffe. Sig. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.13386 W. Woodroffe. Sig. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Fleet Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue (J.13386 (Ch. B.19290) W. Woodroffe. L. Sig. R.F.R.) generally very fine (7) £220-£260

Walter Woodroffe was born in London on 5 November 1895, and enlisting in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class spent the majority of his Great War service afloat in H.M.S. Astrea, serving on the Africa Station, and first took part in the naval bombardment of Dar-Es-Salaam on 6 August 1914; Astrea was later one of the ships assigned to hunt and blockade S.M.S. Königsberg in the Rufiji Delta. In May 1915 Astraea provided a support role during the invasion of Kamerun. Advanced Leading Signalman on 6 August 1918, Woodroffe was discharged to shore, time expired, on 4 November 1925, and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve the following day.

Recalled for Second War service, Woodroffe was serving in the destroyer H.M.S. Wakeful when she was selected to support Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk, on 26 May 1940. On 27 May 1940 Wakeful embarked 631 Allied troops, but while returning to Dover she came under air attack and received minor damage below the waterline. Despite this near miss, she returned to Dunkirk to continue the evacuation, embarking 640 Allied troops on 28 May 1940. While carrying this out she was torpedoed by E-Boat S-30, with one hitting the forward boiler room. Casualties were heavy: only two of the 640 Allied troops embarked for evacuation, together with 25 of Wakeful's crew survived. A number of ships stopped to pick up the survivors, but one of these, another destroyer H.M.S. Grafton, was in turn sunk by a German U-Boat.

Woodroffe is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.